Love Your Sister's Big Heart Project raises over $2 million for cancer researchHistory was made in Canberra yesterday, when the Big Heart Project, an initiative of Love Your Sister, raised a remarkable $2.2 million for cancer research at Garvan.https://www.garvan.org.au/news-events/news/love-your-sister2019s-big-heart-project-raises-over-2-million-for-cancer-researchhttps://www.garvan.org.au/news-events/news/love-your-sister2019s-big-heart-project-raises-over-2-million-for-cancer-research/@@download/image/BigHeartProject.jpg

Love Your Sister's Big Heart Project raises over $2 million for cancer research

History was made in Canberra yesterday, when the Big Heart Project, an initiative of Love Your Sister, raised a remarkable $2.2 million for cancer research at Garvan.

11 May 2017

History was made in Canberra yesterday, when the Big Heart Project, an initiative of Love Your Sister, raised a remarkable $2.2 million for cancer research at Garvan.

Love Your Sister’s Connie and Sam Johnson asked Australians to donate their 5 cent coins to cancer research, with the aim of building the world’s longest line of coins (the world record stands at 75.4kms and is held by a town in Austria). As the project gained momentum and thousands of coins began flooding in ahead of yesterday’s event, Connie and Sam decided on a new approach: to build an enormous heart of 5 cent coins on the Lyneham netball courts in Canberra.

Throughout the Big Heart Project event yesterday, coins were donated in their millions and the heart of coins grew ever bigger – until this morning, when it was announced that over $2.2 million had been donated.

The funds raised by the Big Heart Project will support Garvan’s research into cancer, and particularly breast cancer. Love Your Sister has already raised millions of dollars for cancer research at Garvan, and this new donation will provide a new and crucial boost to Garvan’s cancer research, and to the Institute’s efforts to bring about real change in clinical practice through research.

A/Prof Lim says, “It was wonderful to stand together with Connie and Sam yesterday, and to see firsthand the power of the Love Your Sister village to bring people together behind a common cause.

“The atmosphere at the event, and the sheer number of people who turned up to show their love and support, was overwhelming.

“It’s humbling to meet the broad spectrum of the community who were so generous in their support of Love Your Sister and its call to research. We are honoured that that Connie and Sam have put their trust in Garvan.”